Bengals at Seahawks
Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 8th at 4:05 pm ET
Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Betting Odds: SEA -7.5 via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Sleeper Spotlight: D.K. Metcalf
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
- Andy Dalton
After enjoying four straight winning seasons, Andy Dalton has had a rough stretch. With three straight losing seasons, Dalton’s decline culminated in a thumb injury that caused him to miss games for just the second time in his career. This year Dalton will be running a new offense and playing for a new head coach. Unfortunately, the team has been hit hard with preseason injuries at the offensive line and he’s missing his star receiver A.J. Green. With all the uncertainty, Dalton should not be started this week, unless you are in a deeper 2-QB league.
Running Backs
- Joe Mixon
- Gio Bernard
Young running back Joe Mixon enjoyed a breakout season in just his second full season in the league. Mixon has been coming off the board in the early second round, as the RB11, and he should have a good chance to finish as a starting fantasy back. However, many circumstances are working against him. With a depleted offensive line, first-round pick Jonah William is headed to IR, the offensive line is one of the worst units in the league. Seattle should be able to hold him in check but long term I am still a fan of his talent. Gio Bernard may see extended playing time this Sunday as the third-down back, as I expect the Seahawks to take an early lead. He is a flex flyer this weekend for owners in need.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- Tyler Boyd
- John Ross
- Tyler Eifert
Bengals star receiver A.J. Green is expected to miss a few games after surgery during the preseason. The situation is a familiar one, as Tyler Boyd stepped in and enjoyed the most productive season in his third year. Boyd will open the year as the lead wideout and all indications are that he will pick up right where he left off. While Boyd had just three 100-yard games in 2018, he should be an easy start Sunday in a game where the Bengals are expected to play from behind. John Ross is a flyer and nothing more this weekend. Ross had seven TDs and Dalton likes to look his way in the red zone but so early in the season, it’s tough to start him with confidence. Finally, Tyler Eifert is returning from an ankle injury that ended his season early. Eifert hasn’t finished a season since his career began but he keeps producing when he’s on the field. Keep an eye on the talented tight end but keep him on your bench.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
- Russell Wilson
Franchise quarterback Russell Wilson’s 2018 season can best be described as efficient. Wilson again finished inside the Top 10 quarterbacks despite having his least amount of attempts since 2013 and his least amount of yards since 2014. Wilson did throw for 35 touchdowns, a career-high, QB rating and he tied a career-low in interceptions. Wilson will be hard-pressed to duplicate the 8.2% TD rate, a monstrous number for any QB. But Wilson should have no trouble picking up this Bengals team apart, and while yards may not be high, a three-touchdown game is not out of the question. Start with confidence.
Running Backs
- Chris Carson
- Rashaad Penny
Heading into the season Chris Carson is the unquestioned starter and bell cow. This Seattle team is all about competition and Carson has balled out in camp for the second straight year. This Seahawks team expects to be run-heavy and Carson will be a nice value and should easily return is RB14 value. Seattle should get up big quickly and pound the rock the rest of the afternoon. Carson is a great start in all formats. Second-year back Rashaad Penny struggled in camp but the staff has been talking him up in hopes of waking him from his slumber. You can’t start Penny this week but keep an eye out to see just how much work he will get moving forward.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- Tyler Lockett
- D.K. Metcalf
- Will Dissly
- Nick Vannet
Opening the season the unquestioned number one receiver is Tyler Lockett. Lockett finished as the WR11 last season on just 70 targets, a ridiculously efficient season as most top twelve receivers need 120 targets to reach that level. Lockett may not repeat his 82% catch rate, he finished with 57 catches, but his volume can’t help but increase. Lockett should make short work of this secondary Sunday. The pecking order of the rest of the pass-catchers is anyone’s guess. D.K Metcalf, the teams second-round draft pick in 2019, is listed as the starter but he’s been limited in camp due to injury. Metcalf excels at the deep ball and could be a perfect fit in this offense, Early season 2018 sensation Will Dissly is returning from a season-ending ACL injury and Nick Vannett returns after an unproductive season. Wait a few weeks until we see how the secondary options shake out in Seattle.
-Marc Salazar (@dingwog)